Mine
by quetalamigo
Summary: Patch's POV of a compilation of scenes from Hush, Hush, in no particular order. Expect a mix of fluff, drama, and angst. There may be some "missing scenes" tossed in as well, for whenever I feel I need a little more NoraxPatch dynamic in my life. Please feel free to request scenes of make "missing scene" suggestions. I hope you enjoy!
1. Forever

Hush, Hush Fanfiction

Patch POV

Hearing from Nora was by far the highlight of my days. My Angel. So, of course whenever my phone rang and I saw her phone number pop onto the caller ID, I was elated. And dare I say, a bit giddy. That girl brought out emotions in me I didn't even think I was capable of feeling.

"I have a free couple of hours. There's a very private, very secluded barn in Lookout Hill Park behind the carousel. I could be there in fifteen minutes."

A grin spread across my face "You want me bad."

"I need an endorphin boost." My smirk grew larger.

"And making out in an abandoned barn with me will give you one?"

"No, it will probably put me in an endorphin coma, and I'm more than happy to test the theory. I'm leaving Pete's Locker Room now. If the stoplights are in my favor, I might even make it in ten-" Nora's voice cut off abruptly and I had to stop myself from panicking immediately. Maybe she just lost service.

Any hope of that was eradicated as I heard a scream, my Angel's scream. I jumped into action, my heart in my stomach. Snatching my keys from the counter, I was out of the front door and on my motorcycle in an instant. All I could do was pray she was wearing her favorite jean jacket. It'd be just our luck that today would be the day she chose to wear something new. "Dammit!" I couldn't leave until I activated her tracking device and got a general idea of where she was going, no, where she was being taken.

Twenty minutes passed before I was able to get the device activated and I realized she was still on the move. From my house to where she was now would be a solid 45 minute drive. A stream of explicatives left my mouth and I pulled at my hair, close to coming unhinged. If I started driving now then maybe I'd be able to keep up with them. Leaving quickly, I kept an eye on my phone, following every one of Nora's movements. She was moving at a fast rate and I knew that she was in a vehicle. I pushed my motorcycle faster till the engine protested at the speed.

The entire ride all I could think about was Nora. She must be scared. Angel is a fighter though, my little tiger. No matter what she was going through, she wouldn't go down without a struggle. I'd kill the bastards that dared to touch her. If I got there and she was even remotely injured...I shook my head, trying to keep my mind from the murderous thoughts. Another twenty-five minutes passed before Angel stopped moving. Glancing at my location I knew I had another thirty minutes or so before I reached her. Thirty more minutes of unsurity. Thirty more minutes of Nora going through God knows what. Deep breaths. Deep breaths.

I'll break every single finger of whomever took her away from me. They'd lose every single limb and I'd cut them to pieces slowly. After they were ready to give up on life, I'd rip their innards out. I'd turn them inside out.

Another ten minutes and I'd be there. I needed a plan, a course of action. I was going in blind, I had no idea how many of them were there, how well armed they were, how much they knew. Nothing. I cursed again. Keeping Nora safe was becoming increasingly more difficult. When I arrived, I'd call out to Nora through mind-speak. My first concern is her safety. Always. Then, I'd ask for a rundown of the situation, and go in. After I retrieved my Angel, it would be awhile before I could let her go.

Coming to a gravel driveway, I saw a cabin in the distance, but more important than the damn cabin, I saw Nora. My Harley came to an abrupt stop and I jumped off, running to her side. She looked okay. Grabbing her beautiful face in my hands, gentle, despite the fury rising within me. "Are you hurt?" She didn't seem to be and before she could respond, I asked the question bubbling with the rage that I felt. "Where are they?"

"There were three of them," her voice shook and her breathing was shallow. Nora was afraid, "all Nephilim. They left about five minutes ago. How did you find me?"

She was going to be pissed. "I activated your tracking device."

"You put a tracking device on me?"

"Sewn into the pocket of your jean jacket. Cheshvan starts with Tuesday's new moon, and you're an unsworn Nephil. You're also the Black Hand's daughter. You've got a premium on your head, and that makes you pretty damn appealing to just about every fallen angel out there. You're not swearing fealty, Angel, end of story. If that means I have to cut into your privacy, deal with it." I didn't mean to be an asshole. I really didn't, but my nerves were shot and even thinking about Cheshvan made me want to lock Nora away until it passed because all I wanted was to know she was safe.

"Deal with it? Excuse me?" I couldn't work to reassure her, and I couldn't bring myself to apologize either because I wasn't sorry. Upsetting her wasn't preferable, but I had to do what I needed to, so I could protect her.

Attempting to dig more information out of Nora was nearly impossible because we kept circling back around to the damn tracking device. Finally, she began telling me things I needed to know. When she mentioned them putting a bag over her head, it took all I had to keep my wits about me. And then the worst news possible came out, the ringleader knew about our relationship. Things became even more uncertain and my stress levels rose again. Before my panic could get out of control, Angel slipped her hand into my own. My muscles relaxed considerably. Her skin was so soft, and her hand fit perfectly in my own. I needed more of her.

I wrapped her in my arms, tucking her against my chest. If I could keep her here forever, she'd be safe. Just the thought made me pull her closer. But there was still the pressing problem of our relationship getting out that needed to be resolved. I suggested staging a fight. Nora wasn't pleased, she didn't argue though. Arguing with her, no matter whether it was real or staged, was unpleasant. It reminded me of darker times in our relationship. Her body was chilling and I ran my hands up and down her arms, trying to warm her and comfort her all in the same motion.

Nora wanted to tell Vee. It wasn't necessarily a good idea, but I'd leave the final decision up to her. Ugh, Vee. While she decided against telling Vee, I knew keeping it from Dante wouldn't be a possibility. I disliked him even more than I disliked Vee. Disliked isn't a good word to describe how I felt about Vee. I just...didn't have much patience for her. Studying Angel, I realized that she needed to get home, sooner rather than later. Tucking my leather jacket over her shoulders, I pulled her under my arm and kissed her head. I thanked God for her.

"Let's get you home."

I wished that when I said home I meant our home. Soon. Soon, Nora would be mine completely and I would be able to take her home. Show her off to the world, and keep her forever. Settling Nora onto the back of my motorcycle, I climbed in front of her. Her hands slipped around my body as she settled against my back, holding on tightly. I pulled her hand up to my lips and kissed her once again. She shivered behind me and I grinned, knowing the shiver had absolutely nothing to do with the cold.

"Hold on tight, Angel."

Her grip tightened and she pressed a kiss into my collarbone. Despite everything, feeling her close to me and knowing she was here made me have hope. There was no way I would _ever_ give up on us. My Angel was here to stay and no one could take her away from me.


	2. Never Enough

Outtake on what I think is an extremely important missing conversation in the Hush, Hush series. I hope this wasn't considered a long gap between updates, I promise I'm updating as often as possible. Balancing my theatre troupe, my exams, college applications, work, and tutoring underclassmen is kicking my butt! I would love to hear more from you guys and I really hope you enjoy! Leave some scenes you'd like to see in Patch's POV or sides of their story you want to know more about.

Also, this chapter may be a bit OOC, but I think everyone is OOC in their lives sometime, right?

"I can't take this anymore! Hiding you is too difficult and I already see it causing a riff in our relationship. I-I think this is where we need to go separate ways, Patch. I love you and I'll always, always be grateful for what you did for me. But you're more trouble than you're worth."

As I listened in on Nora, I knew that I was doing the wrong thing to eavesdrop, but she was obviously planning her break up with me, I deserved to hear that, right? Break up, how did such a juvenile phrase manage to cause so much damage? My heart broke and although I couldn't feel, I felt every single piece of myself shatter. What the hell? What had changed so abruptly to make her feel so uncertain about our future?

Could I save whatever we had left of our relationship?

Maybe it'd be best if I just walked away now. I knew from the beginning of this that my Angel- no, not my Angel, not anymore, it seems- was too good, too pure for me. Damn God for giving me a taste of heaven and freedom and life with her, only to take it away. Granted, this seems to be more of the work of the Archangels than God, doubtful that He hates me enough to try to crush my happiness now, especially when I was so close to eradicating devilcraft from the world.

"And you clearly don't appreciate anything that I do for you! It's as if it's all a given! I don't just do the things I do for you because it's expected and right, I do it because I love you. Maybe if you weren't such an asshole most of the time then I wouldn't have to continue to yell like this. I don't enjoy yelling at you, despite what you may think-" Nora continued ranting. My heartbreak shifted into concern and I wondered if all the stress from these past few months had caused Nora to have a mental meltdown. Unless...mind tricks?!

Giving up my hiding spot, I bolted into my spare bedroom, where I saw Nora, wagging her finger angrily at the space on the opposite side of the bed. I peaked over the edge and saw a scrappy black dog, head hung in shame. The same dog from that night in the graveyard. He looked devastated as he took in Nora's irate form. I know the feeling, buddy.

Skipping laughter all together, I collapsed in hysterics, bent at the waist because the guffaws coming from my body were so intense. My prone form gave way to the bed, my merriment couldn't be contained.

Angel wasn't breaking up with me!

I could sense that she was furious and from my place on the pillows, I could see her little foot tapping. Mmm, following those feet up her delicious legs, letting my eyes linger on her delectable hips, I slowly traced my way up her body (and with much effort, not ogling her breasts inappropriately) before I took a pause on her bewitching face.

You've put a spell on me, Angel. Something about your tiger eyes, messy red hair, and that foot of yours tapping sets me on fire.

Well, you'd better put that fire out, Jev Cipriano, I don't think it's funny that you're laughing at me.

The mutt, who I assumed was Patch Junior, took my side on the bed in the guest room whenever I stood to drag a reluctant Nora to lay beside me. I pulled her close and bent to whisper in her ear, "I overheard your conversation with the pup and it appears I thought the worse. My apologies, for being overjoyed when I realized my conclusions were wrong." Showing a vulnerable side wasn't easy for me, but having Nora angry with me was much more difficult. Her eyes stared down at me for a moment, confusion setting in before understanding dawned and her arms went around me, pulling me impossibly closer.

"You never have to worry about that, Patch, never ever. I love you. Do you understand me? You're mine and I refuse to let you go." Hearing Nora get territorial was comforting and, though I'd never admit it to a soul, reassured some insecurities I had floating in the back of my mind on loop.

"I love you, Angel." Her lips bent down to meet mine and I threaded my fingers through her hair.

"It's brown." Despite the words being muffled against my lips, I understood them clearly and, had my lips not been preoccupied with a drug far more hypnotizing than devilcraft, I might have found the argument tempting enough to respond. Hands began to wander and Patch Junior was kicked off the bed when he began to take up too much of our space. As good as this felt- considering my lack of ability to physically feel- I knew we had to stop soon; we weren't ready to take this step together and Nora's first time sure as Hell wasn't going to be with Patch Junior being a peeping tom.

As if she could read my thoughts, Nora broke away, panting. She brought her head to rest on my chest and I ran my hands through her hair, once again.

It was a moment of bliss. Just Patch and Nora.

And Patch; the moment he realized that our make out session was over, bound right back into the bed. Had Nora not cuddled him immediately, I would have kicked him out- not just out of bed, but out of my house. But I couldn't deny her. It was just a dog, it couldn't be that terrible. He might even grow on me. Besides, he was the least of our worries right now. Nora must see some redeeming qualities to give him my name.

"Oh, and Patch?" My Angel's sleepy voice reached me.

"Yes, Angel?"

"Maybe if you didn't eavesdrop on my conversations, then you wouldn't hear things you didn't want to hear." She followed her snarky comment with a kiss to my chest that let me know I was forgiven. But, almost like he understood exactly what Nora said, the mutt pushed me over just enough for him to wedge his overgrown rat body between us. Now asleep, Nora curled up to him, burying her face in his fur and sighing contentedly.

Damn, dog.


	3. Trust in Fear

Hi! Apparently, I like pleasing you guys more than I like sleep! So, this chapter is for Dallas, I constantly reread this scene because I LOVE how caring Patch is for Nora here, so I was extremely excited that you requested it. I'll definitely write the scene whenever Patch sees Nora in the graveyard post war, but that one will take time. I'll probably wait till I'm not speeding through and writing. Um, that's pretty much it. Hope you guys enjoy it. Feel free to leave more requests!

I love Nora. I love her when she's sad. I love her when she's mad. I especially love her when she's glad. It's like my very own remix of Green Eggs and Ham. I would have chuckled had the position Nora and I found ourselves in not been so dire. As much as I love Nora, no matter what emotional state she finds herself in, I hate loving her when she's afraid. Because I know this fear is, in some way or another, a consequence of our relationship.

Never have I felt so out of control in a situation as I do right now, reassuring my Angel that in this damn fight, she would come out on top. Knowing that the price of one wrong move on my part could be her life was almost too much to take. One promise I knew I could make was to stand by her, no matter what. Nora would never be alone. But right now, that could all wait. Slowly, I looked down at Nora, she seemed to be shivering, her skin ashen against her red locks.

I trailed my thumb across her face, lingering on her lips before I held her cheek in my hand. "You're ice cold, Angel." Leading her into the townhouse, I made sure to keep a tight grip on her shaking body. Tonight was going to be about taking care of my girl. "Let's get you into bed. I'll light the fireplace. What you need right now is warmth and rest. I'll draw a hot bath, too." And even as I said it, I knew my mind could never fathom taking the words sexually when my Nora seemed to need a guardian much more than she needed a lover.

Her chattering teeth were my undoing and I swept her into my arms, carrying her to my room and tucking her into my silk sheets she loved so dearly. "A drink? Herbal tea? Broth?" Instead of responding, Nora shriveled up in front of me and I felt like I had seen her age ten years in a span of seconds. Like a wounded animal, she shied away from me and her eyes darted away from mine.

"There's something I need to tell you." Those words scared the hell out of me, so broken coming from her. The tears forming in her eyes did nothing to soothe my rising panic as I brushed my fingers along her neck. "Angel?"

Nora attempted to brush it off, excusing me from the conversation as she mentioned that I needed to call Scott. Her actions spoke volumes, however, whenever her shoulders tensed up and she buried her face into my pillow. The telltale signs of her crying appeared as her body became rigid and her breathing staggered.

"I need to call him, that's true. But more than that, I need you to tell me what's going on." I didn't mean to sound like a hardass and I could only hope that she realized what might have sounded like assholery was the concern eating me up from the inside. Moments of silence passed, with each passing moment my nerves grew tighter. Finally, when I knew I either needed to see her face or hear her voice, I clicked on my bedside lamp and tugged her shoulder, attempting to coax her face from the pillow.

"I love you." She mumbled as her movements contradicted her, Nora's body pulling even further from me. "I know. Just like I know you're holding something back. This isn't the time for secrets. We've come too far to turn down this road." Much, much too far, I thought, as I tried another method of getting her to open up to me. My mind began to run rapid with thoughts of what could have made her react this way and what I could have done to make her feel she couldn't trust me.

Nora felt like she couldn't trust me. Damn the secret, why didn't she feel like she could tell me? Her tears came faster, all I could do now was offer my physical comfort. I slid into bed next to her, spooning her still trembling form against my own and placing a gentle kiss on her exposed shoulder.

 _I-lied-to-you. I lied to the one person whose trust means more to me than anything. I lied to you, Patch, and I don't know if I can forgive myself._

Rather than jump to conclusions, as I have been known to do, I took a breath to steady myself. Nora was hurting and no matter how badly I wanted to know everything, Angel was the most important thing right now. Reassuring her trumped all. Instead of thinking about the inkling of betrayal I felt at having been lied to, I thought about how wonderful her body would feel pressed against my own. I took her arm into my grasp and placed kisses down its length, wondering what it would feel like to have her silky skin against my own and feel it. Every single hair and tiny freckle on her body meant the world to me and I wanted to capture this moment to memorize each individual detail. My hurt was easy to forget then when I realized how lucky I was to even get this much with Nora. I was able to hold her, comfort her, kiss her, love her, be _loved by her_. That was all I could ever really ask for.

"Thank you for telling me." Thank you for telling me that you lied, but also thank you for telling me you loved me and that you trusted me. Thank you, my Angel, for your love and your trust. Both gifts from you that I never thought I could ever possibly be enough for.

"Don't you want to know what I lied about?"

"I want to know what I can do to make you feel better." My fingers trailed to her shoulders, kneading in gentle circles, pushing her tension away. And as if a rubber band snapped between my fingers, the tension alleviated and Nora seemed to word-vomit, "I've been taking-devilcraft." Words kept tumbling from her lips and I truly only caught a few; Cheshvan, not strong enough, wrong, mind-trick, sorry. Instead of concentrating on her words, I searched her face. And, although her eyes dropped from my gaze, I only needed one look to see how broken this confession left her.

I was no stranger to devilcraft. It didn't get its name from an exaggerated reputation. Devilcraft was a trap, carefully engineered by the evilest creatures in the universe; power hungry bastards with no regard for the natural order of things. In the beginning, _you_ consume _it_. In the end, _it_ consumes _you_. Like any drug, addicts would lie, steal, cheat, kill, anything for a fix. The only difference with devilcraft was it gave you so much more power to be able to do so. For Nora to have been able to break this hold and speak up after struggling with the weight of her addiction for weeks alone only made me fall more in love with her. Was I upset that she lied to me? Mind-tricked me? Yes. It hurt more than anything, but knowing that her actions were led by her fear of not being strong enough overpowered any negative feelings I could have from knowing of her deceit.

It all came back to the carnal emotion that seemed to be leading us both right now; _fear._

"Did you know, the first time I saw you, I thought: I've never seen anything more captivating and beautiful?"

"Why are you telling me this?" She groaned, the guilt becoming more pronounced in her voice.

Ignoring her plea, I continued. "I saw you and I wanted to be close to you. I wanted you to let me in. I wanted you, all of you. That wanting nearly drove me mad." Pride rose within me as I buried my nose in her hair and took a deep breath. "And now that I have you, the only thing that terrifies me is having to go back to that place. Having to want you all over again, with no hope of my desire ever being fulfilled. You're mine, Angel. Every last piece of you. I won't let anything change that."

By the end of my declaration, I wasn't sure who my words were meant to reassure anymore because the relief I found in them was staggering. To vocalize the fear that I had been squelching for so long was cathartic and I took much joy in feeling those last kinks in Nora's body unravel as she relaxed fully against me. She sighed, sounding as though she'd been holding her breath for hours underwater. Finally, _finally_ , her eyes met mine and she declared, "I don't deserve you, Patch. I don't care what you say, it's the truth."

How right you are, my girl. "You don't deserve me. You deserve better. But you're stuck with me, and you might as well get over it." Speaking of getting over something...I grinned, rolling on top of Nora, pulling her beautiful body against me. My eyes burned into her own, "I have no intention of letting you go easily, something to keep in mind. I don't care if it's another man, your mother, or the powers of hell trying to pry us apart, I'm not easing up and I'm not saying good-bye." Once again, tears flooded her eyes, but this time for much better reasons.

"I'm not letting anything come between us either. Especially not devilcraft. I have the antidote in my purse. I'll take it right now. And, Patch? Thank you...for everything. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Emotions threatened to overwhelm me, but instead, I rested my forehead against hers, our lips centimeters away from touching, and whispered. "Good thing because I'm not letting you get away." And our lips met.


	4. Anything

_Author's Note_ _ **-**_ _Okay, so what was meant to be a pretty short, alternate ending turned into a beast. A bit of a plot bunny, actually. Anyway, this is an alternate ending to Crescendo. I realize the end is abrupt, but I really could have kept going on for quite some time. It is something I could continue as a story since it certainly changes the Hush, Hush series as an entirety. I'd love to hear what you guys think. Anyway, I'm definitely going to get to writing the dance scene in Crescendo as requested, but my Muse called. She's pretty finicky and gets stubborn when I don't answer, so duty calls!It'll be next on my to-write list after I get some sleep!_

 _Side note: there is some language in this, not a lot, but I thought I'd let you know. And some violence, as well._

 _Oh, and I haven't been doing this, but all rights go to Becca Fitzpatrick. She's the mastermind behind the stories, I just like to twist her words._

Holding Nora in my arms never got old. I loved knowing that she gripped onto me just as tightly as I held her. I allowed my guard to be let down as I hid my face in the junction of her shoulder and her neck, breathing her sweet scent in. As it overwhelmed me, I moaned, "I love you. I'm happier right now than I ever remember being."

"How very touching," a new voice spoke, coming from the corner of the living room of my studio and bringing me immediately to alert. I threw Nora behind me as he spoke again, "seize the angel." A bunch of goons encircled me and the first thing I noticed were the guns that hung snugly in their belt loops. I had to get Nora out of here. The only way to do that would be to allow them to take me. So be it.

I could sense Angel's confusion, but there was little time to explain. These men were angry and they wanted answers, no matter the cost. _When I start fighting, run. I'll distract them. You run. Take the Jeep. Do you remember how to hot-wire it?_ Dear God, please let her remember how to hot-wire it, there was no way for me to get her the keys without raising alarm and I'd be damned if I attempted a fight with her in close proximity. _Don't go home. Stay in the Jeep until I find you. I will find you, Angel...Angel?_ Her eyes had glazed over as she took in the man that spoke in the beginning. Hank fucking Millar. The severity of the situation escalated by leaps and bounds and I _knew_ getting Nora out was of the utmost importance.

"Mr. Millar?" Her voice quivered and I fought to regain her attention; she had to stay calm. I couldn't focus if I felt like she was in a precarious position.

 _Angel?_ Nothing.

 _Angel!_ She remained unresponsive.

 _Dammit, Nora! Listen to me!_ Worried that she would look in my direction and give us away, I began to speak.

"Hank Millar. What do you want? We mean you no harm. Just let us go and I'll forget any of this ever happened." A lie, of course, but it got Nora to look my way.

 _Don't stop driving when you get in the Jeep. I want you to drive as far away as possible. There's money in a safe under my seat. The combination is 0829. 0829_. I briefly wondered if she realized that was the same day that she was assigned as my lab partner. _It should be enough to get you food or anything else you may need for awhile. I will find you, Angel. Get ready. Stay safe. I love you, Nora, more than anything._

And with that, the fight began. I immediately broke free from their grip and moved to block Nora in case they drew their guns. Their surprise gave me just enough time to snatch Nora up and practically shove her out the door, doing everything in my power to force the sound of her sobbing and screaming my name to the back of my mind. Blocking what I knew to be the only exit in the building, I spread my stance, shoulder-length apart and prepared myself for what I knew to be one hell of a brawl. Too bad Rixon ended up being an evil bastard, his help would be nice.

I shook the thought out of my head, he was gone, all I could do was remember everything he taught me. Men came at me from all directions. Before I could even regain my composure, fists were flying at me from all directions. A punch to the eye, a knee to the stomach, my legs were swept from underneath me. I had underestimated my opponents.

The number one no-no in any fight.

"I love you. More than I think I should."

"Don't ever leave me."

"It's the most important thing in the world to me. I want you to have it."

"Swear you'll never stop loving me."

Nora's words echoed in my head and my promise resonated stronger than ever. I would get back to her. Leaving Nora alone while she was in so much danger wasn't an option. With a renewed fervor, I swiped at a pair of legs above me as they poised to land a kidney shot. The man dropped, unprepared for my sudden offensive attack. I took advantage of his shock and went for the gun on his waistband. I didn't hesitate in aiming for his head and pulling the trigger.

The sound of the gunshot was incredibly loud and echoed through my studio. Knowing that I only had seconds before the other goons drew their guns, I took shield behind the corpse. While I couldn't feel pain, my body was still only human, a vessel and susceptible to being rendered useless. There was also no doubt in my mind that these bullets were laced in devilcraft.

I held the dead man in front of me, listening as he took gunshot after gunshot. Every few shots, I'd dare to peek out from behind my fleshy armor and fire a shot. Eventually, the firing became increasingly staggered, slowing down until there was only the sound of one other gun. The body in front of me was falling apart from the lead that filled it and I knew that I was precariously low on ammunition. Not willing to risk missing my target, I abandoned the body and took aim, firing the final shot into my opponent's skull.

Watching him drop to the ground wasn't nearly as satisfying as I imagine it could have been and I took the time to evaluate the damage done to my vessel. I had suffered a gunshot wound to my left collarbone, rendering my left arm fairly weak. A stray bullet seemed to have caught my right thigh, but it must have been just a graze because my leg still held strong. I took a deep breath before coming to one startling realization; Hank Millar was nowhere to be seen. He couldn't have escaped from the front door because I still blocked it. There was no exit in the back and since we were underground, the studio lacked windows.

He was still here.

Part of me wanted to give in and allow him to leave alive, so I could find Nora before any harm could fall upon her. But the strategic, romantically apathetic part knew that the threat had to end here.

"Hank. Hank Millar. Come out now and I'll have mercy on you. I know that you're the Black Hand. More importantly, I know that you killed Harrison Grey. You did well at hiding all of this, I'll give you that. But I'm a rather determined man, especially when it comes to Nora. So, I'm going to give you a few options; come out now with your hands raised and we can talk like civilized men, this is the wisest option. Or you can make me hunt you down like the cowardice rat you are and I'll make sure your last regret will be ever attempting to cross me, obviously, this isn't a preferable decision for either of us. And your last option, idiotic and suicidal, if you ask me, is you try to fight me." My voice grew louder as I spoke and I moved cautiously along the perimeter of my living room.

"As you can see by looking at the pile of your men lying in the middle of my living room, I am not a man to be trifled with. I managed to kill 5 of your goons, singlehandedly, and in a rather short amount of time. Eliminating you will be light work."

There was still no response and I could sense no movement around me. Truly, he stood very little chance of getting out alive and my only concern would be that he managed to find my feather and burn it before I located him. Realizing that could very well be his next course of action, I made my way to the couch, pulling out the gun I kept stashed.

I knew that while I searched, I had to be able to keep Hank in or at the very least be alerted when he tried to leave, I locked the door. It clicked and the noise was loud in the silent studio. Hank had heard it, as well. I began by checking rooms as I went down the short hallway. Room after room came up empty and I couldn't fight the building frustration. Finally, I landed in front of the last remaining door.

The room was rarely used and contained boxes of old junk that had never found its way to a dump. Nothing of value.

"You aren't as intelligent as I thought you to be, Black Hand. You chose the hunt; to be stalked down like prey. I thought you'd at least be brave enough to face me. But you live up to your reputation. Sending people out to do your dirty work seems to be your M.O. You're a rat. Scum. And I can't wait to see the life drain out of your eyes. I'm going to give you five seconds to say your final prayers." The longer he kept me from Nora, the angrier I became. He was a sniveling coward. I couldn't wait for him to be a dead, sniveling coward.

"One." He was going to pay.

"Two." For killing Harrison Gray.

"Three." For making Nora suffer the hurt losing her father.

"Four." For forcing me to abandon her, so I could follow this goose chase.

"Five." For threatening her life.

I opened the door, shocked at what I saw before me. The shock faded and fury set in, pumping adrenaline through my body at an alarming rate. I roared. Every ounce of pent up anger I had felt in the past few months releasing. Hank's body lay immobile in front of me, blood oozing from his neck.

The spineless, worthless mouse. His last act had been one cowardice, suicide, and it spoke volumes for how he lived his miserable excuse of a life. A bitter laugh burst from my throat and I approached the corpse. Just for the satisfaction of doing so, I let loose a bullet into his face. Seeing the damage sated the monster inside that needed to see him bleed for all he had done to the Grey family. Somewhere along the way, after I fell in love with Nora, I mourned the death of Harrison Grey. Not because I knew him, or even knew of him. Partially because Nora hurt for him, but mostly because I was saddened that I missed out on meeting him. I wished for the opportunity to fight to prove to him that I loved his daughter and I would be enough for her.

"I hope you burn in Hell. And just know, should I ever end up there, the first thing on my to-do list is to find you. I'll make Hell look like a walk in the park." With those words, I left. My studio was a mess and I knew that there was no repairing the damages. It didn't matter. What mattered was finding Nora.

Before I could leave, I dropped in front of my laptop and activated the tracking device inside my Jeep. Nora hadn't made it very far. She was only 45 or so minutes away. If I flew, I could get to her in fifteen, ten if I pushed myself. Launching into action, I ran out of the Delphic amusement park and leaped to the sky. My wings carried me as quickly as they could fly and I kept a sharp eye out for my black Jeep. The fight didn't last near as long as it seemed to. Twenty-five minutes at most. Hank made me waste time hunting him down when I could have already been reunited with my girl.

Never having been happier to possess my supernatural abilities, I spotted my Jeep, racing down an old road. Nora was going fast and swerving enough to make me go from relieved to nervous.

 _Nora, Angel. Pull over._

The Jeep jerked to the right, nearly careening into a ditch. My heart jumped to my throat. She was going to give me a heart attack.

 _Easy, Angel, it's alright now. Just pull over. I'm right here._

Pulling over to the shoulder, she stopped and I landed beside her door seconds later. Her hand flew to her chest and she let out a shriek of surprise. "Patch!" The door flew open and then Nora was in my arms again. I choked out her name and hugged her as close as I could get her.

 _My girl. My Nora. My Angel._

She shuddered against me and I bent to kiss her. Before our lips could touch, I eyed her face. Tears stained her cheeks in streaks. Eyes red and swollen, lip puffy with little puncture wounds, from biting it, I presumed, my Nora looked an absolute mess. "Oh, Nora."

"P-Patch. I-I didn't th-think you'd get out o-o-okay!" At her words, she snatched away and surveyed my body before crying out once again. "Oh!"

"Sh, sh, sh. Just flesh wounds. Please. Just let me hold you." Everything else could wait. None of it mattered. I just needed Nora.

"I love you."

"I love you, too, Nora. I'll do anything to protect you."

Anything.


	5. If You Love Someone

_Author's Note-_ I'm back, okay, so here's chapter 18 of Silence where Patch and Nora are dancing. Only that scene though. I had a lot of fun with this one. Oh, and my last day of school is Friday, so I'll be able to work on some more time-consuming projects then. I love seeing reviews from you guys, so let me know what you think! If there is something you want to see more or less of, tell me, and I'll do my best to accommodate. Thank you for reading!

I looked at Nora and couldn't help the instant jolt in my heart at seeing her face so near my own again. It was a sight I thought I'd spend the rest of eternity missing.

"May I have this dance?" I murmured, smiling just a bit as I looked at how uncomfortable my Angel- no, Nora- l appeared in the crowd.

"Shouldn't we be finding a way out of here? Devising a couple more backup plans?" Nora's tough demeanor cracked and I sensed the fear that still lingered in her words. I didn't like knowing she was afraid, especially not when I'm around to protect her. She should know I'd never let any harm fall upon her.

 _Except that you did let harm fall upon her when you abandoned her in your studio that night,_ my subconscious sneered. I pushed the thought aside, taking Nora by the hand and pulling her closer.

With her body flush against mine, I knew the moment she tensed up, glancing around at all the other dancers on the floor- grinding and thrusting to the beat of the music. We were the odd ones out and our slow swaying was drawing the attention of a few other club-goers. "They'll stop staring soon. They're too busy competing for most extreme dance move of the night. Try to relax. Sometimes the best offense is a good defense."

My words seemed to do her good because she began relaxing against me, inch by inch uncoiling until her body leaned against mine and I was able to hold her close again. Finally, after months of being away from her, we were together. Even if it was only for a brief time. Holding her tight made me feel whole. "Better." I murmured, letting my lips just barely rest against her ear. What I wouldn't give to be able to lean down and press my lips against hers...dammit.

Before Nora could gather what was happening, I spun her out. It was the only way I could maintain control because every instinct inside me was screaming to whisk her away and keep her hidden forever. "Do you think they're going to buy that a guy in tacky leather chaps dances like this?" Nora teased after I twirled her back into my arms. Tacky, huh, Angel?

"Keep it up and I'll put _you_ in the chaps." Of course, I was teasing, but Nora didn't know that. Her eyes widened comically as they searched my own. She was able to realize the mirth behind my words and her eyes rolled a bit.

"How do the trances work? Like glamour?"

"It's more complicated that that, but same end result."

"Could you teach me?"

"If I taught you everything I know, we'd need a considerable amount of time alone together." On second thought, that sounds like the best idea Nora has ever suggested to me. The best idea for me, though, not for Nora. I was far from the best idea for Nora.

Blushing, she stated, "I'm sure we could keep it...professional."

"Speak for yourself." I choked out, smoothly. The struggle to keep anything professional with Nora was astounding. The only thing on my mind was the past and being able to be with her. To kiss her and hold her and make her laugh. I pressed her tighter against me, attempting to keep my face from revealing all that I was feeling. Nora must have realized that the conversation was over because she rested her head against my chest.

Resolving to just let the moment be, I did nothing to fight it and I allowed myself to pretend we were in another place at another time. Stupidly, I imagined Nora dressed in a white dress while I spun her in front of a room full of guests. She would be beautiful in a wedding gown, her hair flowing around her. Like a true Angel. Blythe wouldn't be too happy with me, but she'd grow to understand that Nora and I needed each other. Vee would be absolutely, mind-numbingly aggravating. And the half-breed, Scott, would likely want to attend. I wouldn't mind though. Nora could invite Hank Millar himself and I wouldn't care. I looked down, only to catch Nora's doe-eyes staring back at me.

Like a magnet, my lips led to the shell of her ear as I whispered, "What are you thinking?" _How warm I feel. How incredibly alive and vibrant and heedless every last inch of me feels next to you._

My smile couldn't be contained; Nora was thinking about me, as well. She was missing me, whether she knew it or not. "Hmm."

"Hmm?" Her blush rose again and she ducked her head to try and hide her embarrassment. "What does 'hmm' have to do with anything? Could you ever use more than five words? All this grunting and minced words make you come across-primal." Oh, Angel, I could think of a much more appropriate place for grunting and primal behavior with you. My grin only grew.

"Primal."

"You're impossible."

"Me Jev, you Nora."

" _Stop_ it." Her lips tipped upwards as she fought a smile and I was reminded of the sunshine trying to peak out on a cloudy day.

"Since we're keeping it primal, you smell good." Especially with my smell mixed into yours. I moved closer, breathing in Nora's scent mingling with my own. I'm reminded of the months of going to my studio and still being able to smell her in the air, but knowing that she was gone.

"It's called a shower...soap, shampoo, hot water." Immediately, I was taken back to that night from so long ago when we were in the seedy hotel room together. When I had every opportunity to sacrifice her body, but her heart had already won me over.

"Naked. I know the drill." God, how I wished that her remembering that exchange meant something more than a few meaningless flirtations in the grand scheme of things. And, to top off the feelings of ineptitude, she laughs. It's a nervous sound and I know she's trying to brush down the feelings that came along with her little joke.

"Are you flirting with me, Jev?" Me, Patch. You, Angel.

"Does it feel that way to you?" Patch love Angel.

"I don't know you well enough to say either way." Oh, but you do, Angel. You did.

"Then we'll have to change that." Because I've given up trying not to care.

"Running from bad guys together is your idea of playing getting-to-know-you?"

"No. This is." Like the true suave gentleman I am, I dipped her back, loving how it felt when she allowed her entire body to melt in my fingers. I raised her back up, slowly, far too delighted by how awestruck she looked once I held her flush against me. Angel's breathing increased, her heartrate matching the frenzy in her eyes. When she noticed me watching as I led her through a series of dance steps, she threw her gaze across the room to a curvy woman that was thrusting as though her life depended on it.

"I don't have the body for this," she muttered, "no curves."

"Are you asking my opinion?" Because I'd be glad to worship your body for you until you learned to appreciate it.

"I asked for that." Ask me to worship your body, Nora. Do it. Ask me. She pulled me under her trance even further and I leaned till our mouths were inches apart. The energy around us was vibrating. The air was crackling. My lips lingered on her forehead, air light against her, but I could still taste the familiar taste that she used to have.

"Jev-," Angel breathed, nearly limp against me. What do you need, Angel? Ask me anything and it's yours. Anything. Our lips were so close and I noticed Nora staring, intently, at mine. She was so close to being mine again. I could steal her away and show her my scars. All it would take was a second of her being inside my memories and we could start back where we left off. Together again.

 _Nora, I love yo-_

 _Spread out along the perimeter! Block all the exits._ The 'bad guys' had returned. This realization was enough to break me from my fantasy. I could never have Nora back. If I loved her, I would let her go. So, I did.

Pulling away from my sweet Angel's face, I quipped, "we've got company."


	6. Power Struggle

_Author's Note-_ This is a bit of Chapter 9 from Silence. The scene where Jev comes and saves Nora from Gabe. It isn't my favorite piece of work, but I think you'll enjoy it. Please let me know what you think! Enjoy!

Almost four months. That's how long it's been since I left Nora in my studio. It's only been a few weeks since she was freed and she had already managed to find herself in trouble again. Only Nora was capable of finding trouble this quickly. Swinging the SUV into the alleyway, I saw Nora standing tall across from Gabe, her eyes trained on the Nephilim that lay beaten on the ground. The same Nephil that Gabe has spent the past two weeks obsessing over; B.J.

"Well, well, boys. Look who came to the party after all." Gabe sneered, ignoring the panic rising in Nora's eyes. I stepped out of the Jeep, my gaze trained on Nora from under the brim of my ball cap. I felt her watching me, too. Nora jumped in the place where she stood, grabbing my attention, immediately. I couldn't help but wonder if that jolt was a jolt of familiarity. "Decided to join us after after all?" I didn't grant Gabe an answer. He was an idiot. Nothing had hopes of winning my attention away from Nora at this point.

Gabe began to blabbed about the Nephil at his feet and complain about the fight he was putting forth. Instead of listening, I cast my eyes to the ground and listened to our surroundings. Nora's heart was pounding and I could smell the adrenaline lingering in the air. It was painfully obvious she was afraid. So why the hell didn't she just run away? I took a deep breath, preparing to put an end to this; I'd be damned if I saved her from Hank only to thrust her back into another dangerous situation.

"Why is she here?" I asked, acknowledging Nora for the first time.

"Wrong place, wrong time." Gabe shrugged. Hardly.

"Now she's a witness." My voice held an edge that Gabe had encountered on a few occasions. He knew that I wasn't in the mood to be trifled with and that him leaving behind a witness was not just a bad idea, but against the rules.

"I told her to keep driving."

"And?"

"She wouldn't leave." Something about the hiccup in his voice told me there was more to the story than he was letting on.

"She's going to remember everything." A slight grin spread across Gabe's face and I noticed the tire iron he began to swing in his hands.

"I can convince her not to talk."

"Just like you convinced this one not to talk?" I growled out. If I ever found Nora in this condition, I'd kill someone. And have fun doing it, especially Gabe.

"Got a better idea?" He smarted, his buddies behind him stiffening up a bit. They weren't stupid; they knew challenging me wasn't a good idea.

"Yeah. Let her go." And it is not a suggestion.

Gabe threw his head back and snorted out a laugh. "Let her go. What'll stop her from running straight to the police? Huh, Jev? Thought that one through?" I couldn't deny being slightly baffled. Gabe had grown some balls. No one ever spoke to me like that. And Gabe was just as puny as the rest of the fallen angel crowd moping around on Earth.

"You're not afraid of the police," I replied, the threat clear in my tone.

 _But you should be afraid of me, you'll do well to remember that, Gabe._ I broadcasted through mind-speak.

Before any more words could be spoken, Nora chimed in. "If you let me go, I promise I won't talk. Just let me take him with me." And so Nora's reasoning came out. She wasn't running because she wanted to save the Nephil. Had I not been so familiar with Nora's moral compass, I would have even believed her promise to stay silent. Her lying skills had improved.

"You heard her." I nodded toward the Nephil, almost smiling at the sigh of relief Nora exhaled.

"No. He's mine. I've been waiting months for him to turn sixteen. I'm not walking away now."

"There'll be others. Walk away." If he didn't back down now, he wouldn't need to worry about finding a vessel. I'd make sure he was incapacitated come time for Cheshvan.

"Yeah? And be like you? You don't have a Nephil vassal. It's going to be a long, lonely Cheshvan, pal." Gabe's tone had taken a hardened edge and I knew this wasn't going to end on a peaceful note. So be it.

"Cheshvan is still weeks away. You've got time. You'll find someone else. Let the Nephil and the girl go." I couldn't care any less about the Nephil, but part of me felt the need to impress Nora. And saving the Nephil would do that. If anything, she would remember me as the stranger that saved her life.

Gabe stepped closer to me and, consequentially, closer to Nora. I towered over him, not letting my stance change. Little about Gabe scared me. He was wider than me, but what I lacked in physical bulk, I made up for in tact and strategy- two words Gabe had never even heard of. "You turned us down earlier. Said you had other business tonight. Far as I'm concerned, this isn't you call. I'm tired of you strolling in at the last minute and calling the shots. I'm not leaving until this Nephil swears his oath of fealty."

Good luck with that, I thought, watching the Nephil stagger to his feet and run out the opposite end of the alley.

"This is my night," Gabe spits at his feet. Disgusting, "I'm ending it on my terms."

Around the same time, one of Gabe's sidekicks realized that the half-breed was missing. Gabe was pissed. I was smug.

Gabe began barking out orders to his goons- Jeremiah and Dominic- before I drew his attention back to the important matter at hand.

"What about her?" I asked, motioning at Nora, who stood wide-eyed and looking a little faint. I couldn't help but feel a little worried.

"Why don't you make yourself useful and go bring back my Nephil?" He snapped, giving me the perfect opportunity to make my point.

"Have it your way," I said. I turned to "leave", although my heart fell to my feet whenever I heard Nora call out from behind me. I was only leaving long enough to allow Gabe to lower his guard and then I was returning to her. Or that was the plan until I heard her body thunk against the ground. Gabe was being rough with her, much rougher than necessary.

Every single muscle in my body coiled, like a snake preparing to strike at its prey. I slinked around the perimeter of the alley, sticking to the shadows. It was a struggle to keep my eyes away from Gabe as he assaulted Nora, but I knew I couldn't attack until I was well prepared. A preemptive attack could lead to Nora being injured. Finally, both his hands were gripping Nora and the tire iron rested on the ground. I moved, swift in the darkness, pulling Gabe from Nora and thrusting the tire iron in his wing scars.

It all happened, quickly, and Nora was obviously disoriented. "You-stabbed him!" She gasped, terror coloring her words. Once again, I was the monster. She clearly didn't understand everything that had just transpired.

"And he's not going to be happy about it, so I'd suggest you get out of here." I twisted the tire iron deeper, just to be sure. Nora still hadn't moved. "Sooner rather than later."

"What about you?" She choked out. Shocked, as usual by my Angel, I didn't answer for a moment, instead staring at her until I felt I had memorized her face. If she was lucky, this would be the last time we'd meet. Thinking about it broke my heart, but I knew it was what was safest for her and that was what mattered most. Always. I wasn't going to tell her that, of course. I would mention the sirens my sensitive hearing picked up in the distance though.

"You can sit tight, but I'm guessing B.J. already put a call in to the cops." With one last twist of the tire iron, Gabe's body jolted, and then fell limp. Nora's head raised slightly, in the direction of the sirens as they came into her hearing range. "On the back roads, at the right speed, you can put a couple miles between you and this place in no time."

"I don't have a car." My head spun to face her so fast, I thought I might get whiplash. "I walked here. I'm on foot." For the love of God, was she serious? I should give up on trying to protect her if she wasn't going to attempt to protect herself.

"Angel," I sighed, almost slipping up and saying her name. Almost instantly, she stiffened and her heart rate picked up. Her eyes narrowed and she studied me in a different way.

"Do I-know you?" She sounded less like she was asking me and more like she was making the connection. Unwilling to lie to her, but unwilling to give up on protecting her so soon, I ignored her question.

"No car?"

"No car." I threw my neck back, looking to Heaven, although I was unsure if I was asking why me or saying thank you, God. No time to reconsider with the police coming closer, I motioned to the SUV, "get in." And through this small exchange, I knew that every attempt I had made to protect her and keep her safe was in vain. She had managed to find herself back in the chaos I nearly broke her to get her out of.

Dammit.


	7. Promises

_Author's Note-_ This is the scene in Silence right after Hank and Nora get into a car accident and she appears in Patch's thoughts to tell him everything that transpired. Okie dokie, that's it from me tonight and probably for the rest of the week. I have two final exams this week, so I'll be studying pretty hard for the next few days. Wish me luck and I hope whenever I have the time to sit down and write a bit more that you guys have a million requests waiting for me! Have an amazing week!

I was lost in my own thoughts whenever I heard Nora crying my name. Springing up from the bar stool in my kitchen, I followed the sound of her voice. Only then did I realize... "Nora? How did you get here? You're inside my head. Are you _dreaming?_ " She wasn't here, physically, and I definitely wasn't sleeping...how?

"I don't know. I think so. I crawled into bed feeling a desperate need to talk to you...and here I am. Are you asleep?"

I shook my head no, "I'm awake, but you're eclipsing my thoughts. I don't know how you did it. Only a powerful Nephil or fallen angel could pull off something like this."

She was quiet for a brief second before she launched herself at me. "Something terrible happened." Nora tucked her body against me, shakes wracking her form. "First my mom fell down the stairs, and on our way to the hospital to see her, Hank and I were hit. Before I blacked out, I think Hank said the other car was full of fallen angels. Hank drove me home from the hospital-and I asked him to leave, but he won't!"

My eyes widened as she went through the events of her night and, to make matters worse, Hank still hadn't left. "Slow down. Hank is alone with you right now?"

Nora nodded.

"Wake up. I'm coming to see you." I felt it the moment she left my mind and I would be lying if I said I wasn't a nervous mess thinking about all the danger that could come about while Nora was home alone with Hank.

I grabbed my keys, phone, and wallet before leaving my studio. I took the Jeep, pushing it much faster than legally allowed. Damn Hank Millar. He was a slimy bastard that took every opportunity to make life difficult and cause someone harm.

Ten minutes later I was parked on the street behind Nora's house. I walked through the woods and scaled my way up the side of her home. Luckily, I was light enough on my feet to make my way across the roof and into her attic without raising any suspicion. I crept down her hallway, tapping on her door before she yanked me inside.

"Hank is downstair watching TV," she murmured. My poor, worried girl.

"I came in through the attic. Are you okay?" I couldn't hold back the anger whenever I traced the bandage on her forehead. That seemed to be the only injury.

"Hank has been mind-tricking me all night."

"Play everything back, starting with your mom's fall."

By the time we played through all the possible scenarios surrounding the car accident I was pissed off again. Nora had been endangered one too many times at the hand of Hank Millar and at this point, I was ready to go downstairs and slaughter him now.

"This ends here. I want you out of this. I know you're set on being the one to bring down Hank, but I can't risk losing you." I began to pace, taking my baseball cap into one hand and tugging my hair with the other. "Let me do this for you. Let me be the one to make him pay."

"This isn't your fight," Nora whispered back and I couldn't help the fire in my eyes when I turned back to her.

"You're mine, Angel, and don't you forget it. Your fights are my fights. What if something had happened today? It was bad enough when I _thought_ your ghost was haunting me; I don't think I could handle the real thing." Correction, I knew I couldn't handle the real thing. Angel was the one thing I knew I couldn't live without. I had done enough living without her to last eternity.

Nora, who always seemed to be able to sense when I needed her most, embraced me from behind. "Something bad could have happened, but it didn't. Even if it was Gabe, he obviously didn't get what he wanted."

That wasn't the damn point! "Forget Gabe! Hank has something planned for you and maybe your mom, too. Let's concentrate on that. I want you to go into hiding. If you don't want to stay at my place, fine. We'll find somewhere else. You'll stay there until Hank is dead, buried, and rotting." I would feel so much better knowing that Nora was safe at my home until I took care of Hank, once and for all.

"I can't leave. Hank will immediately suspect something if I disappear. Plus, I can't put my mom through that again. If I disappear now, it will break her. Look at her. She's not the same person she was three months ago. Maybe in part that's due to Hank's mind tricks, but I have to face the fact that my disappearance weakened her in ways she'll probably never recover from. From the moment she wakes up in the morning, she's terrified. To her, there's no such thing as safe. Not anymore."

"Again, Hank's doing." So please, just let me kill him.

"I can't control what Hank did, but I can control what I do now. I'm not leaving. And you're right- I'm not going to step aside and let you take on Hank alone. Promise me now that whatever happens, you won't cheat me. Promise you won't go behind my back and quietly do away with him, even if you honestly believe you're doing it for my own good."

Ha, Hank would never get to go quietly and I told Nora as much. She wasn't too happy with me and she knew that I was trying to deflect making that promise.

"Promise me, Patch." Dammit. No. I don't want to promise you that, Angel. Please don't make me make those promises. I stared into Nora's eyes for a long time, giving her the opportunity to withdraw her request. She said nothing.

Minutes passed and I realized Nora wasn't going to relent. "I won't stand by and watch you go up against him alone, but I won't kill him privately, either. Before I lay a hand on him, I'll make sure it's what you want." Her grip around me tightened and she rested her head against my shoulder. My sweet Angel.

"Thank you." If she wasn't going to allow me to lock her away, then she would allow me to teach her about defending herself. Anything to keep her safe.

"If you're ever attacked again, go for the fallen angel's wing scars. Club him with a baseball bat or ram a stick in his scars if that's all you have. Our wing scars are our Achilles' heel. We can't feel the pain, but the trauma to the scars will paralyze us. Depending on the damage done, you could cripple us for hours. After stabbing the tire iron through Gabe's scars, I'd be surprised if he came out of the shock in less than eight."

"I'll remember that. Patch?"

"Mmm."

"I don't want to fight." Her finger trailed along my shoulder blades. "Hank has already taken my mom from me, and I don't want him to take you, too. Can you understand why I have to do it? Why I can't send you off to fight my battles, even though we both know you win in this department, hands down?"

Sadly, I could understand. It'd be so much easier to not understand though, so I could be irrational and argue with her until she saw my point of view. But I had to trust her. Nora was my everything. And I would do anything for her.

"There's only one thing I know for certain anymore. That I would do anything for you, even if it means going against my instincts or my very nature. I would lay down everything I possess, even my soul, for you. If that isn't love, it's the best I have."

Nora didn't respond, instead, she took my face in her hands and kissed me. It took me by surprise and I slowly loosened up, responding to her kiss. I relaxed against her. "Angel," I sighed. _God, I love her._ I pulled back, searching her eyes.

I didn't get a chance to say anything before her hand was at my neck, reuniting our lips. I kissed her harder, wishing that I could feel her kiss like she could feel mine. Bringing my fingers to her cardigan, I began unfastening the buttons, until it was on the ground, and all she was left in was her camisole. I craved the skin where her camisole had ridden up and revealed her smooth stomach. Her sharp gasp left me thrilled.

Lowering her onto her pillows, I littered kisses into the curve of her throat and pulling her underneath me. Her presence was intoxicating. All I wanted was to pull her close to me and never let her go. Nora moaned and clung just as tightly. I went to trail my kisses lower down her neck, but I heard Hank. Flying out, I was able to ditch through her window just as he walked in.

"Nora?" Angel screamed as she saw him standing in the doorway, her eye alight in fury.

"What are you doing! Get out! I can't do anything about the house key my mom gave you, but this is where I draw the line. Do not _ever_ come into my bedroom again." She was incensed. A smile played at the corner of my lips at her temper.

"I thought I heard something," Hank muttered.

"Yeah, well, guess what? I'm a living, breathing person, and every now and then I make noise!" The sound of her bedroom door slamming could be heard and my grin won out.

I loved my Angel and her tigerish temper.


	8. Kisses

_Author's Note-_ I've been feeling pretty blue for the past few days, so I wanted to write something light and fluffy. Obviously, this is a really short one-shot. I love the idea of Patch laughing so hard his sides hurt because, jeeze-louise, he could really use some laughter in his life. But, I've read all of your chapter requests and I'm in the process of getting those written. Since they all fall in a similar time frame, I want to write them together. They're pretty intense, long scenes and I want to do them justice, so it might be a bit before I post them. Maybe Tuesday-ish? Yeah, I'm going to say Tuesday at the latest. I hope you guys are having a wonderful weekend.

Post-Finale.

Fingers tickled along my jawline and I felt kisses land on my chest. Keeping my eyes closed, I sighed deeply, snuggling closer to Nora. Instead of lying back down beside me, she ran her hands through my hair once again.

"Patch, wake uuuuup," she whispered, nibbling on the shell of my ear.

"What're you up to, Angel?"

"I miss you." She crawled on top of me and littered my face with more kisses. I could hardly complain, of course. So I pulled her closer. Moving her lips back to my ear, Nora murmured, "ya know, I think we should spend the day in bed. Just us. Just Patch and Nora."

"That does sound like a lot of fun. I've missed you, too."

"Then it's a deal. Besides, if I'm not mistaken you have years of kisses that need to be made up for." Nora grinned. Her kisses began at my lips and trailed down to the nape of my neck. I shivered. Oh God, how have I lived without this? A moan escaped my throat before I could even attempt to hold it back. "Is that nice, Patch?"

"Noraaa," I sighed whenever her fingers ran up and down my chest with her fingernails lightly scratching at my skin as they passed. That paired with the occasional flick of her tongue against my skin was driving my senses haywire. Oh, _God_.

 _My Patch_ , her voice purred inside my head.

 _Your Patch indeed_ , my Angel.

The desire swelling inside of me morphed into something much different whenever her caressing digits turned to tickling fingers. My moans turned to gasps of surprise, which morphed into laughter that sounded more hyena than human. I didn't even know I could laugh this hard! Nora joined in, her giggles filling me with an insane amount of joy.

"N-Norraa! St-stop!" I pleaded.

"I love this side of you, Patch. You're so handsome when you laugh." Her voice was wistful and sweet in my ear. I'd laugh every day if it made her happy. Eventually, the tickles came to an end and she planted a peck against my chest, right over my heart.

"I love you."

"I love you, too, Angel."

"Who knew my Patch was ticklish?"

"Not even I did, until just now. And you'd better not tell anyone, or else." I threatened and nipped at her lips. "It's _our_ little secret."

"Of course. Now...I think I owe you a few more kisses."

I hummed in response, bringing our mouths together again.


	9. Figurative or Literal Hell

_Author's Note_ \- I know, I'm late! I'm sorry, believe it or not, I'm a punctual person, but life loves to kick you when you're down. This is a super long chapter, obviously, because it comprises of a few different requests. I hope you all enjoy it and please leave some more reviews and requests. I don't own this, it's all due to the great Becca Fitzpatrick. Also, this chapter contains some language. Patch is going through a lot and he's a big boy, a curse word here and there are the least of his worries, ya know?

Picking up from the end of Chapter 36

I left Nora with a kiss that burned to the bottom of my toes, even though I couldn't feel it. Going to look for Dante, dread settled in the pit of my stomach and I took one look at Nora's retreating form, committing her to memory.

Her hair was a mess from my fingers tangling in them during our kiss and I trailed my eyes from her head, down her back, and admiring her bottom that led to those gorgeous legs. My beautiful, intelligent, kind-hearted, strong Angel.

"I love you, Angel." I murmured, steeling myself. I had to focus though. I was going to kill Dante whenever I saw him. It would take a lot of work for me not to prolong his torture and make him beg for mercy.

I kicked my bike into gear, racing down the highway. Knowing the first place to look would be the mausoleum where Dante attacked me, I headed there first. He wouldn't be there. Of that, I was almost positive, but I could use any starting point. I turned onto a long road, but as I went to lean with my motorcycle, my body convulsed. An overwhelming twitch caused me to lose control and I went careening onto the side of the road before I corrected it, quickly.

"What the hell?" I gasped, pain radiating along my body. "Oh, God." A burning sensation erupted across my skin. It was as if someone had taken a flame to- oh, fuck.

No. No, no, no! Dammit. NO!

Unintentionally, my hand gripped tighter on the clutch. I knew there was wind rushing against my cheeks, but I couldn't feel any of it. All I could comprehend was the feeling of scorching hot fire igniting across my body. I was sure if I looked down, what used to be flesh would now only be remnants of skin replaced by blackened blisters, but it appeared the same as it had minutes before.

This was it. I was going to Hell.

"God, please, I know I've made mistakes, but, please, please, don't take me from Nora. She needs me. Just let me get rid of the threat and then you can cast me into the deepest pits of Hell. I _need_ to take care of her. Let me do one good thing. _Please_!" A sob ripped through my throat and the pain in my heart outweighed anything that could happen to me in Hell.

 _I failed Nora._

And then I saw nothing.

My eyes opened and I knew I was in Hell, immediately. It was exactly like I remembered it. I was chained to a wall and there were moans of torment echoing throughout the dark. I was reminded of the conversation I had months ago with Nora when I told her that if I wanted easy, I would chain myself up in Hell with Rixon and reminisce about the old times. Of course, that was bullshit. The last time I saw Rixon was in Hell and I'd spent hours beating him to a bloody pulp.

"Well, look who decided to join us." A too familiar voice growled. Dante. Instinctually, I lunged toward him. But I couldn't move. Dammit.

"You thought it would be that easy? You'd find me, kill me, and your little Angel would be safe? That half-breed mutt. After I get everyone in Hell to swear their oath to me, I'm going to take so much pleasure in killing that little bitch."

I roared in anger, thrashing against the chains.

"Oh, you don't like that, do you? Lovesick fool. Anyway, there is much work to do before I go up and conquer the world. But before I leave, there's someone that'd like to talk to you." Dante snickered and left me alone. But only for a second. When another familiar voice greeted me.

"Patch, how ya been, mate? How's that half-breed of yours?" I remained silent. I wasn't going to give into his childish games. "Nothing to say to yer old pal? I expected at least a visit outta ya while I was sitting down here, chained up."

"I don't owe you _anything,_ Rixon. Other than another swift kick in the ass."

"You're hardly in the position to be making threats, ya know? Although, ya did always have a thing for my arse." He chuckled, but it wasn't anything like the laughs we shared when we were friends; it was dark and unsettling. Rixon went quiet and for an elongated moment, the only sound that could be heard was our breathing. But then his footsteps. Quiet and meditated as they grew closer to me. I steeled myself, sure that whatever his reason for approaching me was a malicious one.

"Ya see, I finally figured out the worst part of Hell. It isn't the pain, no, I almost welcomed the pain. After centuries of living life without feeling, to feel anything, even pain, was thrilling. It's not listening to these bloody fools lament their woes. It doesn't even have anything to do with being isolated, only to be visited whenever someone needs a punching bag."

 _It's the mind tricks,_ his voice spoke in my head, _that's the worst part. I've spent what feels like fecking centuries trying my damnedest to separate reality from the images being cast into my brain._

While he spoke, a light began to shine in the darkness. My head whipped toward the light source, basking in it. I didn't know where it came from; friend or foe, but I knew it put me one step closer to getting out of here and finding my Nora. And, low and behold, a face I never thought I'd rejoice to see appeared; Marcie Millar.

"Marcie! Let me loose!" I commanded, catching her attention. I had no time for questions and didn't particularly care to know how she got into Hell. I only hoped that Rixon wouldn't prove to be too much of an obstacle, but the moment I was able to really look at Marcie I knew, there would be no problem. Her body was alight, glowing blue, almost as bright as the flashlight she held. Devilcraft.

Our eyes met and she nodded, turning to Rixon. "Let me take Patch and I'll let you leave alive." Her words, while reassuring struck me as odd. They were too confident and sure. She was carrying herself too strongly.

"NO!" I found myself yelling, as I dropped my head and squeezed my eyes closed against the light.

 _Oh, good job, Patch, ya're still as quick-witted as before. Yer mental strength is much better than yer physical strength was. Don't worry, though, I'll be sure to weaken ya up in no time._

My eyes opened again and I was met with darkness. Mind tricks. So that would be Rixon's weapon of choice. He didn't care to break my body; he'd done that over centuries of fighting with me. Rixon wanted my mind to be his now.

Images of Nora being kicked and punched played through my mind and I tried to push them out, to remind myself that they weren't real. But every time I was able to ground myself, the assault would grow more violent and I would find myself drowning in the hallucinations again. Hours passed in this way. Eventually, my resolve diminished and I was left begging for mercy.

I felt sick to my stomach. I, Patch Cipriano, was begging for mercy. It was so unlike me and it felt like a betrayal to who I was. But maybe, if I pleaded for long enough, they'd let me go and I could find Nora.

Nora.

My savior. My Angel. She was my strength, I held onto that last memory of her like a life preserver as I floated in the sea of falsified realities. I began to create my own universes where Nora and I lived together on a beach. It was only us and no outside forces could harm us. In my world, she would stroke my hair and hold my hand, and I would be able to feel every touch. Every pass of her fingers over mine. Every inch of her body would be mine to hold. I'd never let her go. We would sit out in the sun together and when she wasn't looking, or she was distracted, I'd kiss her. Just to surprise her, so I could have an excuse to touch her again.

"You're going to be okay, Patch. I love you" Her voice whispered. It shocked me the first time I heard her voice speaking to me and I fought to block it out, but, over time, I yearned for it. Even if it was another sick game on Rixon's part, I loved it. It was like her being here with me. Or better yet, like I was with her. I cringed whenever I thought about the what she must be going through. And I found myself thanking God that Vee was there to stick by her side. And even Scott.

She must be so afraid. I shook my head clear of those thoughts. If I spent my time here thinking about what my Nora could be struggling with, I'd go mad. I failed her and I needed to fix it. I had to make it right, but how?

In between battling for consciousness and trying to fight to keep my wits about me against Dante and Rixon, it was difficult to form a coherent thought, let alone develop a way to get out of Hell, so that I could be there for Nora before the epic battle began. Awhile ago, I couldn't be sure if it was hours, days, or weeks, Dante came in and projected images of what he was going to do to Nora after he killed her. He didn't defile her, instead, he hung her rotting corpse on a post, not unlike a scarecrow. Dante planned to use her as a fear tactic to prevent any rebellions.

I knew whenever he showed me those images that the battle was close. Closer than I had imagined. My escape became my number one priority and I used Nora to be sure I stayed grounded in reality. She was how I differentiated between mind-tricks and what was truly happening around me.

"Hello, all!" Dante's voice projected, echoing throughout the corridors. Silence fell over the crowd and it made me shiver to think that he already had that type of power over the occupants of Hell. God, help us.

"The time has come. The war between the fallen angels and the Nephilim race is beginning. And I am the one to lead you to victory. After living this life for 215 years, I know the best ways to take out a fallen. I know what makes them tick and I have centuries of battle experience behind me. As the 2nd in command of the Nephilim army, I began the rebellion against Nora Grey. Nora Gray, the traitor that killed the Black Hand; the traitor that would rather warm the bed of a fallen than protecting her race. Join me. If you swear an oath of loyalty to me right now, then I will give you the only tool you need to come out on top during this war." Murmurs of interest were heard throughout and I cringed harder, but some good did come out of this. Dante possessed a power that even devilcraft couldn't bring about; the power of persuasion. Everything sounded like honey rolling from his tongue and the danger of being forced into an oath of loyalty to him couldn't have sounded sweeter. Of course, there were few that would choose Hell over that oath.

Dante was desperate. He needed more men on his side and he had exhausted all of his resources. That would be the only thing that could possibly drive him to ask fallen angels and Nephilim changed in Hell.

"When you choose to follow me, I will grant you access to devilcraft. You will finally be able to access the full extent of your powers. And it will be all thanks to your dedication to this war. Should that not be tempting enough for you, there is a reward offered. For the capture of Nora Grey, I offer you a spot by my side. You will be respected by all. If you bring her to me dead, you will be rewarded, too. I will provide you with protection and whatever you desire for the rest of time. There are rewards for every Nephil body brought back to me. You will be given _one chance_. When approached, you will be asked to take an oath, and when you accept, you will be given devilcraft and released. Choose wisely." Dante smiled his charming, facade of a smile. Many were intrigued and people already began placing bets on who would find Nora. _My Nora._

Dante made direct eye contact with me and I could see that he was gloating. He thought he had won already. No.

"However, some of you that can't be trusted, will be told to stay down here. And, if you manage to escape, you will be killed on sight. No ifs, ands, or buts." That, of course, was thrown in for my sake.

My anxiety and fear for Angel only grew as I saw the sheep lining up to be shepherded by this wolf. We hadn't prepared for this many. She didn't know that she would be facing an army of this size. I began to pray again, interrupted by Rixon hissing into my ear.

"I've sworn my oath, mate. In a few hours, I will have your precious Angel in my grips and I will be sure she suffers for days on end. And, whenever I've grown tired of her, I'll kill her and watch the life drain from her eyes. But, don't worry, I'll be sure to show it all to ye through my scars later on." This wasn't a mind-trick and Rixon's guard was down. Acting on instinct alone, I forced myself into his body, possessing him. It was a challenge and had I not been building my strength by fighting against their mind games the entire time I was chained in Hell, I might not have been strong enough to do it.

But I succeeded. It was miraculous. I looked at my own limp body, still chained up, and contemplated moving myself now. With Dante around, I figured the risk to be too high. As if reading my mind, he passed by at that moment, and I busied myself making nonsensical threats into the ear of my lifeless body. Seemingly appeased, Dante pulled me away. "I'm going up to organize the troops. You handle those remaining down here. I want them dead." Rixon seemed to be of value to Dante, I noted, as I nodded Rixon's head in the affirmative.

Dante turned on his heel and retreated, leaving me in Hell with the criminals with some semblance of intelligence. I waited as long as I dared, my mind running through scenarios of all the terrible things that could be happening to Nora as I took precautions that weren't completely necessary. Whenever the waiting began to eat me alive and I couldn't stand seeing images of Nora's twisted and mangled body lying at Dante's feet, I gave in. Using Rixon's devilcraft granted strength, I snapped the chains surrounding my own wrists. This seemed to spark life in Rixon's mind and the struggle that he had been putting forth the whole time increased, tenfold. My determination to win, for Nora, was stronger. With my body hoisted upon Rixon's shoulders, I walked past all the prisoners and other guards, lulling their minds into an apathetic state, so I could pass with little trouble.

We made it to the exit without any excitement and I placed my body on the ground. Signs of conflict littered the graveyard; bodies lying limply against headstones, weapons decorating the dirt and casting off glares whenever the moonlight hit the right way. It was like something out of a movie, almost beautiful in the setting and I was distracted by the peace in the eyes of some of the dead. I wondered briefly if they had deserved the Hell they were about to receive.

My distraction was enough for Rixon, he expelled me from his body and I jumped back into my own so fast it disoriented me. Before I could get my wits about me, he was gone, escaping into the night.

"Dammit!"

Dante's plan was a strong one; he was using the fear tactic to take over and rule. Should he win this war, he'd quickly become the most power being alive and I wasn't sure if there would be any coming back from it. I wanted to eliminate him before he found Nora. This fight was getting too close. I searched my surroundings, clutching the closest sword I could find as I prepared to go into battle.

Before I could leave to go and find a fight, I was approached by a young Nephil boy. He was tall, even for a Nephilim, and his broadened shoulders gave him a physical advantage over me. But, I could tell by the shaky way he held his sword and the weakness of his stance, he was a new fighter. I was unconcerned and launched into my own offensive attack. I was ahead of the attack and he was visibly losing steam in the fight when a battle cry was heard from a few feet behind me.

"Shit," I huffed, turning on my heel and attempting to keep both opponents in front of me while still watching my flank. Their positioning forced me to bend at the waist, so I could keep an offensive hand in the fight. With my past in fighting I knew this put me at a disadvantage, but by the time I had realized what I was doing, the new Nephil disarmed me.

Jumping out of reach, I took cover behind a headstone and frantically searched for a new weapon. A series of curses ran through my brain when I realized there were none around- we had secluded ourselves from much of the battleground through our excursion. My only choice would be to run until I could find some other way to defend myself. God must've been looking out for me (for once) because a new figure appeared in the distance. A fallen angel, judging by how his eyes narrowed at the Nephilim before me. He charged them, meanwhile procuring a dagger from a sheath at his side and tossing it my way. We were able to even the playing field as we attacked the Nephilim, gaining the upper hand quickly.

 _The more you lean or stretch, the easier it will be for your opponent to knock you over,_ I noted to my new ally. He gave a sharp nod, straightening up and resuming his attack. While the attack seemed to be going well for us, the Nephilim obviously had devilcraft in their system. The other fallen angel noticed this, as well, as he faced the tall Nephil boy I had faced earlier. He seemed to be struggling more and more, I noticed, while fending off the Nephil girl across from me.

 _Use his height to your advantage. Expose his legs. A hard strike to either knee, then steal his sword._ My words seemed to do the trick and my ally followed them swiftly. With the Nephil's sword in one hand and his own in the other, my ally landed a death blow to his enemy and let out a satisfied harrumph as the young boy fell to the ground. One glance his way and I knew I was on my own.

I wasn't too worried; the Nephil girl caught a glimpse of her fallen companion and let out a horrible scream. Her compassion was her end. I took advantage of her distraction and landed my dagger through her heart. She silenced and crumpled to the ground before me.

 _God, forgive me, for I have sinned,_ I thought sardonically, leaving behind the mess, so I could go find my Nora.

I took off through the trees, my eyes scanning the ground for any corpse that slightly resembled my girl. I faced only one more enemy in my hunt, a weak fallen angel, nearly dead by the time he reached me anyway. Slamming my dagger into his wing scars, I carried on. Corpse after corpse registered in my mind and I looked for signs of my Nora in each one.

Until.

I caught sight of hair that looked eerily similar to my Angel's peaking out from behind a tombstone. It connected to an unmoving, lifeless body, and tears came to my eyes within seconds.

"God, please, no."

Unwillingly, memories of my Angel flashed through my mind. Whenever I saw her for the first time, trying to kill her on the Archangel, making tacos with her, kissing her, holding her, the terror I felt watching her fling her body from the rafters when she faced Chauncey. She couldn't be dead, not when we'd come so far. I walked much slower than I wanted to, but it was impossible to force my stiffening bones to approach what could be her lifeless vessel. Almost like my bones were undergoing rigor mortis as they tried to join her deceased state.

Finally, or maybe too soon, I was in front of the corpse, but I was _fucking terrified_ to look away from the mess of curly red hair that might belong to my Nora. I was able to get my wits about me enough to look down and cried more whenever I recognized the face. It was some tramp that I met one night at Bo's with Rixon. The same night Nora called me from the phone booth. This same tramp was the one that helped me realize I was in love with my Nora. _Oh, thank God._

As if given renewed energy, I went from body to body, kicking them over, searching them briefly, and then moving to the next one. My hope had been restored and all I knew was that if my Angel wasn't in my arms soon, I was going to go ballistic. After who knows how many corpses later, I grew more frustrated, kicking one particularly hard, and uttering a litany of curses under my breath.

"Patch?"

That voice. _Her voice._ My eyes shot to the source of the sound and all I could do was drink her in. Seeing her was a breath of fresh air, too good to be true.

Too good to be true. Was this all a mind trick? Was I still chained up in Hell? One look in her eyes and I knew it wasn't so. This was my Angel. At last. She ran at me, knocking against me so roughly, I imagine it might have hurt could I feel her. She clutched me tight against her and pulled her face into my neck, breathing me in. Her voice was more broken when she spoke again. "Let this be real. Let this be you. Don't let me go. Don't ever let me go. I fought Dante. I killed him. But I couldn't save Scott. He's dead. Devilcraft is gone, but I failed Scott." Sobs choked from her throat and her grip on me tightened. As reassuring as holding her was, knowing that she had ended devilcraft, and, inevitably, all who ingested it, allowed me to relax even further.

I shushed her and murmured empty reassurances. I couldn't stop my own body from shaking and still holding onto the fear that there was a chance she wasn't truly here with me. We sat on a nearby bench and I pulled her flush against me, meeting her eyes for only a second before I allowed myself to drown in her. Every available sense drank her in, refusing to deprive myself of her any longer.

"I saw Rixon." She hiccuped.

"He's dead. So are the rest of them. Dante released us from Hell, but not before taking our oaths of loyalty and injecting us with a devilcraft prototype. It was the only way out. We left Hell with it swimming in our veins, our lifeblood. When you destroyed devilcraft, every fallen angel being sustained by it died." For a brief second, her body relaxed, and I was glad that the heavy conversation was over for a second. We'd both been through hell. Although, mine was a bit more literal compared to her figurative hell. Glancing down, though, I wasn't sure that she had suffered less than I did.

"How did you survive?"

"I didn't swear an oath to Dante, and I didn't let him inject me with devilcraft. I possessed Rixon just long enough to escape Hell. I didn't trust Dante or devilcraft. I trusted _you_ to finish them both off." I left out the part where I spent the majority of my time in Hell panicking because I was unsure if I had prepared her well enough.

Her eyes lit up as if the idea of me believing in her gave her new confidence in herself, but the light was extinguished whenever she cried out my name, so broken and sad and she sagged against me again. "You were gone. I saw your motorcycle. You never came back. I thought- when I couldn't save your feather-," Nora's words trailing off in the night. She moved closer, before giving in and crawling into my lap. Her sobs shattered my heart and the silence of the night. I rocked her back and forth, whispering sweet nothings into her mind, anything to assuage her anxieties. Whatever I said seemed to work because Nora pushed up from my lap- my body instantly protesting the distance- and trapped my hips between her two legs and winding her fingers into my hair. She pulled me closer until our lips were a breath apart.

"I want to be with you. I need you close, Patch. I need all of you." And she kissed me. Kiss seemed to be an understatement. My Nora consumed me, she engulfed me.I reciprocated in kind, unable to get her near enough. I shared that same, desperate need. Knowing that her hands were running over my body only further stoked the burning in my heart.

"I want to wake up with you every morning and fall asleep with you every night. I want to take care of you, cherish you, and love you in a way no other man ever could. I want to spoil you- every kiss, every touch, every thought, they all belong to you. I'll make you happy. Every day, I'll make you happy." Those words were an understatement I realized, the pleasurable ache in my heart only growing when I acknowledged that I couldn't portray how much she truly meant to me through words. I produced a ring that I had worn on my finger every day since I found it and presented it to her. An unfamiliar nervousness creeping into my body. "I found this ring shortly after I was banished from heaven. I kept it to remind myself of how endless my sentence was, how eternal one small choice can be. I've kept it a long time. I want you to have it. You broke my suffering. You've given me a new eternity. Be my girl, Nora. Be my everything." Because that's what she was. Nora was my everything and more.

She bit her lip, hiding a smile from me, all the stress leaving her face as she whispered my name, this time it sounded more like a praise than a cry. I didn't respond, only slashing a jagged edge of the ring across my palm, and making the promise I knew would mean more than any other words I could possibly speak ever would, "I swear to you, Nora Grey, on this day, from now and forever, to give myself to you. I am yours. My love, my body, my soul- I place in your possession and protection." Please, don't ever hurt me, I thought, offering her the ring.

She whispered my name again, tears glittering in her beautiful eyes.

"If I fail in my covenant, my own misery and regret will be my endless punishment." Knowing I failed her would be worse than any punishment anyone could inflict. _But I won't fail, Angel. I won't fail you,_ I promised her.Not like I have so many times before.

Nora took the ring, eagerly, going to mirror my actions before hesitating. My heart stopped and I wondered if she was having second thoughts. Wondering if maybe those tears in her eyes were tears of sorrow, not joy like I had assumed them to be. Before I could ask any questions, she brought the ring to her Nephilim mark, and make a quick incision. She brought our hands together, allowing the blood to join.

"I swear to you, Patch, to take your love and cherish it. And in return, to give you my body and my heart- everything I possess, I give to you. I am yours. Wholly and completely. Love me. Protect me. Fulfill me. And I promise to do the same." Water welled in my eyes and I looked down to avoid Nora seeing the emotion her words evoked. I lifted her hand, pushing the too-big ring onto her slim finger. And jumping, frantically. My hand was...what was the word?

"My hand. My hand is..." I couldn't find the word and I was sure that something had happened. Maybe I was being mind-tricked again. The confusion coursing through my body seemed to match Nora's as our eyes met. "My hand is tingling where you mixed our blood."

Her eyes grew even larger and she squeezed my fingers in her own. Her hands were warm, a contrast in the slight chill of the night. I could feel the slight sting from where the cut had been made and my muscles were somewhat sore, presumably from the fighting earlier. "You feel it." It wasn't a question, it was a statement, almost like she wasn't completely surprised. I took inventory of every part of my body. Her hot body pressed against mine. I could feel the weight of her pressing into my lap. My hands went to her hair, almost of their own accord, and I was amazed by the rough texture. Her curls were tangled and dirty, but they still felt like heaven slipping through my fingers. I let out a noise, and I wasn't quite sure if it was a moan evoked by the pleasure I felt in various parts of my body or a laugh at the absolute shock I was experiencing.

"I feel you." I feel my Angel. Oh, how I wanted to feel my Angel. I dove in, capturing her lips, touching her face, her neck, running my hands up her arms, and then back down. I took a moment to finally feel her gorgeous legs. Even covered in denim they brought me an obscene amount of satisfaction. I had to get her alone. I pulled her in my arms, reveling in her surprised yelp, euphoria not even beginning to describe the joy I felt. "Let's get out of here."

She clasped her arms around my neck, burying her head against my shoulder. Her breath landing in gentle pants at my neck and I bit back a shiver. I wasn't going to let her out of my arms for a very, very, very long time. Not until I felt every inch of her body against mine and made up for all the lost moments. We were together. Forever. And I'd go through it all again, just to ensure we made it to this moment once more. I glanced down at my Angel's face. She beamed back up at me, and, despite everything my girl had been through, she still had hope and joy in her eyes. Hope and joy that seeped from her body and into mine. I felt light once more. I felt whole and happy and at peace. I was ready and unafraid for our future.

I knew of no better omen.


	10. Self-Control

_Author's Note- Ha...so it's been awhile. No real excuse for the because or the why, although life has kinda been rough, but you gotta keep pushing on, amiright? Anyway, hope you guys enjoy it. I lent out my copy of_ Finale _and it is missing, that's right, missing. So, any_ Finale _requests will be pushed off. This is Patch's POV of half of Chapter 21 and all of Chapter 22. It's short, obviously, but I only included the meat of it. After all, I don't think that Patch's ramblings can be too interesting out of context with his life, ya know? I have my copies of_ Hush, Hush, Silence, _and_ Crescendo, _so if you guys wanna hear anything from those let me know! Much love, thanks for reading, and please let me hear what you think or improvements you believe can be made!_

Rixon grinned over at me, almost like he was daring me to sink the next ball into the pocket I called. The challenge only urged me further and I poised the pool stick, my focus remained on the ball and its destination, I drew back, and... _ring_... _ring_...I struck, completely distracted by the ringing of my phone.

"Dammit!" I hissed. Who would be calling this number anyway? The only person that could possibly have anything to do with me would be Dabria or Rixon. And Rixon was right here, the number certainly wasn't Dabria's.

I debated answering for a few seconds. Sighing, I whipped my cell from my pocket and answering somewhat briskly, "what's up?"

A broken breath answered from the other end and I straightened, the game forgotten as Nora's familiar voice stammered, "it's me." Hearing her sound so frazzled put my nerves on edge and all I could do was pray that I was mistaken. This definitely wasn't her phone number- extensive...observation...of her life insured that I knew Nora's number, should I ever need it- and the area code was unfamiliar, too.

"Nora?"

"I'm in P-Portland. On the corner of Hempshire and Nantucket. Can you pick me up? It's urgent." She stuttered, words thick and heavy with tears. I tossed a few hundred on the table and gave Rixon a brief mental rundown of the situation.

"Angel, I'm on the way to get you now. Don't worry. I'll be there soon."

"I-I have to hang up. I'm in a phone booth and-" Nora's sentence was cut short. The payphone must have cut her off. Or, at least, I hoped it was the payphone that cut her off. My panic only increased as I thought of the other reasons I could have suddenly lost contact with her. I was in my Jeep Commander before I could summon another thought and driving much faster than what is legal to make it to Nora. Imagining her worry spurred me to move quicker and drove my nerves to wondrous heights. That was by no means a safe part of town.

Finally, thirteen minutes later, I pulled up by the only phone booth on the street. Curled up in the corner of the booth was Nora. Her entire body trembled and was ashen, a light sheen of sweat covering her face. She was a mess. Without thinking, I slipped my long-sleeved T-shirt off and over her body, all the while forcing my mind to focus on how frail she looked instead of how tantalizing my shirt looked on her. Her tense body seemed to loosen marginally once it covered her.

"Let's get you in the car," I said, lifting her up, thinking about not thinking about what her body would feel like pressed up against my own. Mmmm. Nora clutched me close and dug her face into the crook of my neck.

"I think I'm going to be sick. I need my iron pills." My poor Angel, what has she been through tonight?

"Shh," my grip tightened,"it's going to be alright. I'm here now." And I'll keep you safe. The idea of using Nora as a sacrifice was becoming more and more difficult to swallow and holding her body against my own wasn't making detaching myself any easier. When she nodded against me, I took it as my cue to place her in the passenger, reaching across her shaking form to click the seatbelt into place.

 _Safety first._ I almost rolled my eyes at the thought.

The Jeep was quiet while we rode to pick up Vee- ew - the only sound being Nora's chattering teeth and staggered breathing. She broke the silence eventually.

"Were you in the middle of a game?"

"I was winning a condo."

"A condo?"

"One of those swank ones on the lake. I would have hated the place." _Lie._ It was beautiful and would have been somewhere I'd love to explore with Nora. "This is Highsmith. Do you have an address?" The last thing I wanted was to pick up Vee and I realized that now would be my last chance. If I wanted Nora, I had to take her. My emotions for this girl were overpowering the humanity I had been craving for decades. Rixon was right, this was fleeting. I didn't love her. I would never love her. Lust was what caused me to fall and now it was causing me to fail. I couldn't give Nora that power over me. Giving her my phone, I mind-tricked her into believing the battery was dead, formulating my plot while she tried to touch base with Vee.

"It died. Do you have the charger?"

"Not on me." Another lie.

"Vee's going back to Coldwater. Do you think you could drop me off at her house?" Sure, I can, Angel. Without an answer, I took off in the direction of Coldwater, driving quietly. Nora still shook beside me. You would think after helping her, I'd be permitted some answers without having to ask. Chivalry must be dead.

"Are you going to tell me what happened?" Her eyes met mine and she resembled a deer in headlights, eyes wide and confused like she couldn't decide whether she was going to respond or not. I didn't push her, only drove forward and let the curiosity- not concern- eat away at me.

"I got lost, and a bag lady cornered me. She talked me out of my coat," sniffle, "she got my beanie, too."

I. Am. Not. Concerned. She explained briefly that she was meeting Vee at a party and I rolled my eyes, grateful for the cloak of darkness, of course, Vee would be the reason Nora found herself in a perilous situation. Taking advantage of the dark night and empty road, I sent the image of my Jeep going up in smoke into Nora's vulnerable mind. I cursed, pulled over, and commanded Nora to remain in the car while I 'checked under the hood'.

After investigating the lack of damage, I made my way to the passenger side of the Jeep, delivering the terrible news of the death of the engine to a bewildered and confused Nora.

"It won't move?"

"Not unless we push it. Where's your cell?" A beat of silence from Nora.

"I lost it."

"Let me guess. In your coat pocket. The bag lady really cashed in, didn't she? Two choices. We can flag down a ride, or we can walk to the next exit and find a phone." Instead of responding, Nora exited the Jeep and attacked. She slammed the door much harder than necessary and kicked the front tire with impressive strength for her...bedraggled state. Nora resembled an adorably angry kitten.

"I think there's a motel at the next exit. I'll go c-c-call a cab. Y-y-you wait here with the Jeep."

"I'm not letting you out of my sight. You're looking a little deranged, Angel. We'll go together." Of course, I'm only concerned because you're my best option for a sacrifice, not because I care about you. I've shoved all of those emotions- that _lust_ because that is all I feel for Nora Grey- deep down inside me. Her stubborn nature shined through as she stood toe to toe with me, challenge written in her eyes. She declared she wasn't going anywhere near a motel with me. Any other time, the challenge would have been appreciated and reciprocated, but with the storm clouds rolling in, I had no interest in fighting a fight I was sure to win in the end. It was only a waste of both of our time.

After making my point, Nora huffed at me, stomping off in front of me. And I definitely did not wait a few seconds to stare at the way her hips shifted as she walked before following. God, as He often does spat at me with an onslaught of sleeting rain ten minutes into our walk...considering it though, as I watched Nora jogging in front of me, He may have been blessing me this time around. Her clothes clung to her mouthwatering shape and Nora's curves were sinfully accentuated in front of me. Mmm.

Once we arrived at the seedy motel, I fought a chuckle as Nora requested a phone, only to be met with disappointment from the clerk. No phones. Thankful for the small miracle, I paid for a non-smoking king room while Nora searched for ways out of spending the night with me. Silly Angel.

"This is crazy." She spat after the clerk insinuated the different sexual prowesses that took place here.

"I'm crazy. About you." More than crazy. Bipolar, erratic, indecisive, out of control, delusional. "How much for the flashlight?" The man offered me candles instead at no charge. Taking them and Nora, we retired to our room, soaking wet. And in Nora's case, chilled to the bone. I lit our emergency candles and promptly shook my hair out.

"You need a shower. Looks like bar soap and two towels." I noted after scoping out the dinky bathroom. Naturally, Nora fought me.

"You can't f-force me to stay here."

"That sounded more like a question than a statement."

"Then ans-s-swer it." I grinned, wondering if she knew that the longer she stood there, the less likely she was to leave this motel with her virtue intact. She looked more delectable than ever, soaked and shaking in my shirt as it highlighted her figure.

"It's hard to concentrate on answers with you looking like that." Very true, but I knew that appealing to her modesty would be what would get her in the shower and gain me a few moments alone with my thoughts, so I could work through where I was going from here with my Angel. Dammit, no, with Nora. Nora. She didn't respond, only went to the bathroom, quiet in her surrender.

Instead of concentrating on my plan to sacrifice Nora, as I had wanted to, my mind kept thinking back to the way she made me feel. If I attempted to think of what I would do to complete the sacrifice, my mind would drift to how the room lit up when she smiled. Whenever thoughts of having a human body entered my head, I'd be overcome by ideas of what it would feel like to have my Angel bury her head in my shoulder, seeking comfort from me. Nora made me feel like every nerve in my body was alight again. Like I'd be okay if I spent eternity as one of the fallen, so long as she was by my side. It made me sick to think of everything I would be willing to give up to be with her. What would Rixon say? But did it matter what Rixon said? The only approval I sought anymore was Nora's. Would a human existence be worth it without her? I wanted, maybe even needed, her touch in my life. How had everything changed so quickly? A groan fell from my lips and I ripped my baseball hat off, running my hands through my hair and wishing I could feel the tinge of discomfort that accompanied the gesture of tugging at the strands. Damn it all.

"Patch?" Her sweet voice called.

"Done?"

"Blow out the candle." As you wish, Angel.

"Done," I whispered like if I stayed quiet enough, the intimacy of the moment would remain unbroken. I couldn't help the smile pulling at my lips and the chuckle that came along with it. She complained of not having anything to wear, the embarrassment in her tone evident. But it didn't stop the smug, "Lucky me," from leaving my mouth. I removed my shirt and took a few steps closer. My presence had the desired effect.

"This is really awkward." Nora choked out and my smirk broke into a full blown grin. I made her feel awkward. That had to mean something.

"You should shower, right now."

"I smell that bad?" The look on her face assured me that was not the problem at all. I took that as my cue to exit and made my way to the bathroom. I would not think about the fact that Nora shared this same shower only minutes earlier and I was going to ignore the knowledge that she touched this same bar of soap, maybe even rubbed it- no. I couldn't dwell on that.

Cutting the shower short, so my mind didn't wander too far into the gutter, when I reentered the room in only my jeans, Nora's eyes shot to my body. They widened a bit before she seemed to dip into herself, visibly self-conscious. Oh, Nora, dear, you have no reason to doubt the power your body has over mine. Instead of addressing her insecurity, I brushed them aside and gestured to the bed. "Which side of the bed do you want?"

Her jaw went slack and she only hummed in response. "Nervous?"

"No." It was cute to watch her straighten up and attempt to broadcast a confident air. She failed.

"You're a bad liar," my words coupled with a teasing smile, "the worst I've seen." Nora jumped to attention, her hands shooting to her hips. She reminded me of a kitten playing the role of a tiger. Her wet, unkempt curls only making the sight more entrancing. She encaptured me and, though I teased her, I feared she had all the power. Nora officially held my heart and I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to take it back. My tone softened and all I craved was to touch her again, even if I couldn't feel it.

"Come here." My eyes trained on hers, although they avoided my own, it didn't matter. We were close and I was sure that if I could feel the air, electricity would be pulsing wildly. She smelled incredible and I dropped my guard, shutting my lids to breathe her in more deeply. This was it. She had won. I couldn't fight her pull anymore, I leaned closer, two magnets connecting at last. Except whenever I opened my eyes again, I realized what was happening.

Nora had spotted my scars. And before I could stop her, she was moving her fingers to rest against the puckered skin.

No. It was too late to stop her and the paralysis that briefly accompanied the touch allowed her to be immersed in my memories. This was it. I had lost her for good.


	11. No Cape Necessary

I couldn't stop the tears pooling in my eyes and the frustration flooding me as I huddled over my Chemistry notes. All the things I could accomplish without even trying, but Chemistry had proven to stump me for hours on end. With the drama surrounding Patch and me, my grades began to slip and even though college wasn't exactly a top concern, I was determined to graduate. Sitting in Patch's room without him was an odd feeling. The energy in the room was severely depleted and I felt even less motivated than usual. The frustration morphed into anger and I gave up, throwing my chemistry book at his wall.

"Dammit!" I screamed. I was hopeless and decided I would just mooch off Patch for the rest of eternity.

"Angel?" Patch murmured, knocking on the door. "Can I come in?"

"I don't care." Throwing my head onto my pillow, I figured if I suffocated myself then chemistry wouldn't matter anyway.  
He walked in, chuckled lightly, and I felt him lower himself on the bed. His hand began to rub my back, "Nora, what's the matter?"

"I'm stupid."

"You're what? You must be talking about a different person because my Angel is an intelligent, sexy, determined woman that can do anything. Baby, you're my Wonderwoman." I rolled my eyes in response, slightly inclined to listen to him. He was persuasive when he wanted to be. Most of the time.

"If I'm so intelligent then why is a high school level chemistry class the hardest part of my life right now?" Patch shook his head and the bed rose as he stood. Moments later the mattress dipped again and I heard him flipping through pages.

"Why didn't you ask me for help? I'd do anything for you, especially study for something you need to graduate."

"I didn't think you'd be bothered to work on a boring chemistry assignment with me. It's stupid." My voice was low and shame bloomed in my chest. Why was asking Patch for help so difficult?

"Nora. Look at me." Rising marginally, I met his gaze. "I love you. Whatever you need, I want to be there for you. I don't care if it's conquering the world or watching paint dry. You work so hard and do everything possible to succeed. Do you realize how much you juggle? Hell, you're training yourself for war and still attending school. Even with your grades dropping there's still time for improvement and they aren't even that low. You really are my hero. My girl."

The shame in my chest was quickly replaced with want and an overwhelming amount of love. I flung myself at him. His reaction proved his shock, but he reciprocated in kind. Our kisses were passionate and in between each moan and whimper he'd whisper compliments.

"Beautiful."

"Passionate."

"Kind."

Just when I thought there was no possible way for me to love him more, he proved me wrong. The kisses turned to caresses and before long I was curled in his arms, sighing.

"Now, ready to get started on chemistry?"  
"I think we covered chemistry just now, Patch. You're insatiable."  
"Focus, Angel. Get up, chemist."

1 Week Later

"Patch, Patch!" I yelled, throwing the front door open.

"Bedroom!" Papers held high in hand, I proudly presented the red 92 printed at the top of the chemistry essay. Patch beamed, pulling me in for a kiss and whispering against my lips, "I knew you could do it, Wonderwoman."

I shoved him onto the bed and no words were needed for a long time after that.


	12. Treasure

Patch's POV

I lounged around my home, phone in hand, anxiously awaiting for Nora's call. She was supposed to be spending the day with Vee and then coming over for a movie night with me. But that was hours ago. I rarely went hours without hearing from her and struggled to reign in my controlling side.

Another hour and a half passed before I gave up. I dialed her number, listening to sweet voice on the voicemail. It did little to soothe my frazzled nerves. After another half hour of debating, I gave in, snatching up my car keys and making my way to her home. On the way to Nora's, I texted her:

 _Hey, Angel, I called but didnt get an answer. I can come pick u up now if ur ready for our movie night_

Without giving all the details, I figured it would lessen the surprise whenever I showed up in her driveway, but still giving a bit of forewarning. The twenty minute drive seemed much longer than that and I couldn't help, but wondering about everything that could have happened to her. It was already late, unless she forgot about our plans- which I highly doubt since she begged me to sit with her through The Princess Bride- and was still with Vee.

Pulling in, I breathed a sigh of relief when I didn't see Blythe's car parked out front. I didn't hesitate whenever I let myself into her home, gently calling out, "Angel? You here?" No answer.

Maybe I was overstepping as I led myself up the stairs and to her door. It was cracked and I could see her lying in bed, asleep. She had blankets piled on top of her and I spotted the bottle of NyQuil on her bedside table. My Nora was sick. Without thought, my hand drifted to her forehead and I felt the fever going strong. Her shoes were thrown haphazardly at the foot of her bed and peaking from under the covers I could see she was wearing one of my sweatshirts she had stolen on a rainy night.

"Hmmm?" She hummed, her eyes opening bleary and unfocused.

"Shh, Angel, it's just me. Go back to sleep. I'm going to take care of you."

"Kay." There wasn't much more I could do for her, except wait for her to wake up and need me. I decided to climb in beside her under the bed sheets, spooning her. Maybe my body heat will offer warmth and comfort for my Angel. Laying beside her relaxed a lot of the unexpected tension I felt, and I drifted asleep.

"Patch?" Hands shook me awake. Nora was resting against me, her voice hoarse. My eyes opened, immediately, and I looked at her, resting a hand against her cheek.

"How are you feeling, Angel?"

"Why are you here?" I chuckled a bit, brushing a piece of sweat soaked hair behind her ear. "Where else do I have to be? You stood me up for our date. Practically broke my heart." She bumped me, weakly.

"Jerk."

"Let me tie your hair back, it's a mess." I ignored her gentle protests and grabbed the scrunchie she tried to hide from me off her bedside.

"Jeeze, you sure know how to make a girl feel beautiful, Patch."

"Have I been one to lie to you?" Her eyebrows rose, asking if I really wanted her to answer that question. I shut up and gathered her hair in my hands, pulling it up into a ponytail, so she wouldn't have to wrestle with it. Nora didn't fight it much, instead she seemed to enjoy me taming the rat's nest on top of her head. Of course this didn't surprise me much since Patch knows best and I especially knew the last thing Nora hated was for her hair to be in tangles.

"For a hardened criminal, you sure do know a lot about pulling up a girl's hair," Nora chuckled. Her chuckle didn't last long before it turned into a drawn out hoarse cough. I tsked gently and snatched up the NyQuil.

"When was your last dose, Angel?"

"Maybe around five this afternoon. Hey, what time is it, now?" Her eyes glanced at the alarm clock and she sighed whenever she realized it was nearly ten p.m. "I'm never going to fall back asleep. Wait, does this mean you'll still watch The Princess Bride with me?"

She knew me all too well because as she asked the question, she cozied up beside me, rested her head on my shoulder, and looked up at me through her eyelashes.

Damn vixen.

Nora was without a doubt the most seductively unaware female I'd ever met. And that's saying something. Unknowingly (most of the time), she had power beyond what she could imagine and one look from her eyes or a quick swish of her hair could sway me into doing almost anything. Not that I'd ever tell her that. God, I'd stay in an eternal state of lustful acquiesence.

"I guess. But I didn't think to bring everything over with me when I came this way, so I'll have to run back to my flat." Nora smiled and nodded before bending at the waist and pulling on her shoes.

"Oh no, no, no. I'll run and get the movie, you'll stay here- in bed."

"No, Patch, I want to go with you. I miss P.J. And our bed."

Dammit.

Fine.

I didn't speak to her, only pulled the legs of her sweatpants up a bit and began placing her sneakers on her feet. I could nearly hear her satisfied smirk as she stood to her feet. After a bit of a struggle, she finally agreed to wrap her throw blanket around her shoulders for extra warmth before we headed outside. It being early December the weather was icy and the last thing either of us wanted was for a simple cold to become something more serious, particularly with my newfound mortality and susceptibility to illness. I also asked that she wait inside so I could crank up the Jeep and allow the heat run for a few minutes as we packed up her drugs and other sickly people necessities.

When the time came to leave, Nora drudged out of the room. Her sluggish manner was indication enough to me that she felt worse than she was letting on. Normally one to have energy and excitement, her slow steps contradicted her usual behavior. I'd have to keep an eye on her.

The drive over was hell. Maybe not literally, but it seemed like it could be a version of hell for someone.

Sick girlfriends (what a childish way to describe my relationship with Nora) are the worst.

She moaned the whole way here and I even had to pull over, so she could blow chunks on the sidewalk.

Gross.

Also, wiping her down with a couple of glovebox napkins was not easy. And her breath reaked. None of these are things I would ever say to my Angel, nor would I be bringing up how much I disliked the overall experience of caring for a sick person. Of course, I loved being able to take care of my Nora and look after her when she was unable to do so, but, damn. Did it have to be (and smell) so unpleasant?

"Think you can make it inside, Angel?"

"Mhmmm, will you carry the blanket, please?"

By the blanket, she means the throw blanket I asked her to cover up with that was now covered in vomit. But, naturally, I agreed. Stinky ass vomit aside.

"Sure, Angel. Pass it here. I can carry that and your mini pharmacy inside, but you'll have to unlock the door."

"Okay. I can't wait to cuddle Patch."

"I'll cuddle you as soon as we get you settled." (And risk infection of the plague).

"No. I don't mean cuddling you. I mean cuddling P.J., our baby."

Damn dog, always stealing my damn girl. Shoulda never took that stupid, ugly, damn mutt in. We trucked our way inside. I nearly slipped on ice, but was able to recover before Nora could spot it. Entering the flat was like entering a cozy sauna, except for P.J. jumping at my feet. Nora bent immediately, showering him with love and kisses. I hope he catches whatever disease Nora's been infected with. Dumb dog.

"C'mon, Angel, let's head to our bedroom and I'll get you tucked in, so we can start the movie." She smiled and stood. P.J. trotted behind her. Ten minutes later, we were cuddled into bed. Nora had just been given another dose of NyQuil and, despite the movie playing, her eyes slowly folded closed and her head lolled lazily onto my chest. One arm was wrapped around P.J. (whom I swear was laughing on the inside at my jealous sneer) and the other tucked underneath her chin. Nora's mouth hung open and she sounded similar to a bear as she breathed.

But she looked beautiful.

Obviously not in the way of a conventional beauty. But she was real. And vulnerable and perfect. Angel was drooling and a little snotty, but she was here with me and because of that, she was lovely. Despite the disgusting details of the night (and this stupid dog I can't help love because she does), caring for Nora was a gift and something I was glad to do. It just took putting aside the inconveniences to see how lucky I really was to hold this treasure in my arms.

"Goodnight, Angel. I love you. In sickness and in health."


End file.
